Scouting Report: Zverev leads Acapulco, Draper returns in Dubai, Cerundolo headlines Santiago
The ATP Tour season continues across three continents and two surfaces this week. Alexander Zverev leads the field at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco, while Felix Auger-Aliassime is the top seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Jack Draper returns to the Tour at the ATP 500 hard-court event.
Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi headline the draw on clay at the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago.
ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.
[NO 1 CLUB]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO
1) Former champion Zverev: The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is the top seed at the ATP 500 hard-court event in Acapulco. The German lifted the trophy at the tournament in 2021 and is chasing his first title of the year. The 28-year-old opens against Corentin Moutet.
2) De Minaur on a roll: Alex de Minaur arrives in Mexico off the back of a title run at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam earlier this month. The Australian has fond memories in Acapulco, having won the trophy in his past two appearances in 2023 and 2024. The 27-year-old starts this week’s quest against a qualifier.
3) Ruud & Davidovich Fokina complete Top 4 seeds: Casper Ruud returned to the Tour in Delray Beach last week (QF) after the birth of his first daughter. The third-seeded Norwegian reached the final in Acapulco in 2024. Fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will hope this is the week that he finally earns his first tour-level title. The Spaniard lost in the championship match at the event last year to Tomas Machac.
4) Monfils, Jodar & Pacheco Mendez receive wild cards: Gael Monfils is returning to Acapulco for the first time since he advanced to the final in 2009. The Frenchman is chasing his first win of 2026. #NextGenATP Spaniard Rafael Jodar has earned tour-level victories at the Australian Open and in Delray Beach this year and the 19-year-old Spaniard will hope to push closer to the Top 100 this week. Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, 20, advanced to the quarter-finals in Acapulco last season. He begins against fifth seed Flavio Cobolli.
5) Harrison/Skupski lead doubles draw: Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski enjoyed the perfect start to the year at the Australian Open, where they clinched their first major as a team. The American-British team is the top seed in Acapulco. Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are seeded second.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI
1) Auger-Aliassime top seed: The Canadian has won eight of his past nine matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, lifting the trophy in Montpellier and advancing to the final in Rotterdam. Auger-Aliassime reached the final in Dubai last season, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
2) Can Bublik clinch second title of 2026? Alexander Bublik won the title in Hong Kong and broke the Top 10 for the first time in the opening week of the 2026 season. The 28-year-old has fond memories in Dubai, reaching the final in 2024.
3) Draper returns: Draper is set to compete at an ATP Tour event for the first time this year. The British lefty, who played one match at the Davis Cup Qualifiers earlier in February, has not competed in a singles event since the US Open in August due to a left arm injury. Draper is making his debut in Dubai and is the fourth seed.
4) Fils & Mensik in form: Arthur Fils continued his own comeback in Doha, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Frenchman returned to Tour in Montpellier at the start of February following a long-term back injury. He opens against eighth seed Jiri Lehecka. Sixth seed Jakub Mensik defeated Jannik Sinner and then lost to Fils in the Doha semi-finals but will hope to build on that run in Dubai, where he begins against Hubert Hurkacz.
5) Former champions compete: In a competitive field, defending champion Tsitsipas, 2024 titlist Ugo Humbert, 2023 winner Daniil Medvedev, 2022 victor Andrey Rublev and 2016 champ Stan Wawrinka compete. Humbert faces Tsitsipas in the first round and the Frenchman takes a 3-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead in against the Greek.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SANTIAGO
1) Cerundolo headlines: Top 20 star Francisco Cerundolo will chase his second title of the ‘Golden Swing’ in Santiago. The 27-year-old triumphed in Buenos Aires earlier in February and now competes at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Chile.
2) Former champ Baez: Sebastian Baez has often found his best level on the South American clay in the past, winning four trophies. A winner in Santiago in 2024, the Argentine will hope to bounce back from a first-round exit in Rio de Janeiro.
3) Tabilo leads home hopes: Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Barrios Vera, Cristian Garin, Nicolas Jarry and Matias Soto are the five Chilean stars in the draw. Eighth seed Tabilo meets Barrios Vera in the first round. Jarry won the title in Santiago in 2023, while Garin triumphed on home soil in 2021. Soto, 26, is making his main draw debut.
4) Darderi, Berrettini threats: Second seed Luciano Darderi and sixth seed Matteo Berrettini have won a combined 10 tour-level clay-court titles. Darderi, a four-time champ, advanced to the quarter-finals in Santiago in 2024. Berrettini is making his debut at the ATP 250.
5) Gonzalez/Molteni top seeds in doubles: Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the top seeds in the doubles draw. The Argentines are seeking their first title as a team since Barcelona in 2024.
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